Structural and optical properties of Al<i>_x</i> Ga_1–<i>x</i>N nanowires

Abstract

Abstract magnified image The structural properties of Al x Ga 1– x N nanowires with high Al content grown by plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy have been studied by high‐resolution electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. Evidence for marked chemical composition fluctuations has been found that have been assigned to kinetical effects during growth. Concomitantly, microphotoluminescence and nanocathodoluminescence experiments on single nanowires have revealed the presence of sharp emission lines, as an evidence of carrier localization. This feature has been assigned to several spatial scales of composition fluctuations, in agreement with the kinetically‐driven growth model proposed for Al x Ga 1– x N nanowires. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)